1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to holding devices in general and, more particularly, to cantilevered support devices for infant feeding bottles and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Infants require frequent periodic feedings throughout the day, which may or may not fit the schedule of available free time of the parent or other caregiver. Although evidence strongly suggests that infants, who are completely deprived of the touch, closeness and voice of other human beings, are likely to be social misfits, there is no indication that, if the parent or other caregiver is not with the child every waking hour of its day, the child will suffer irreversible emotional, psychological or intellectual harm. Consequently, many time saving devices have been developed to assist those who care for young children so that they are not an all consuming task. For example, bottle holders have been developed so that an infant may be fed without an attendant having to hold the bottle. Such a device is especially useful when an infant is being transported in a carriage or stroller, or when the infant is lying in a crib.
The prior art is replete with examples of various types of bottle holders. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,388 to Marks discloses a bottle holding apparatus having a first clamping device for attaching the apparatus to an object near the infant, a second clamping device for securing a feeding bottle, and an articulated support structure having multiple telescoping beams connecting the two clamping devices. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 273,044 to Holcomb discloses a device similar to that of Marks, but sans the telescoping feature of the beams. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 369,413 to Lodewyck, Jr., et al. and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 443,933 to Schindler both disclose bottle holding devices in which a clip is attached to a bottle retainer via a shapable member. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 345,800 to Mills discloses a baby bottle holder which includes a movable arm to which the bottle may be attached, the arm connected to the apex of an adjustable A-frame. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 345,423 to Sabalones discloses a baby bottle holder having a weighted base coupled to a bottle holding clamp with a shapable tubular member. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 326,524 to Lawal discloses a baby bottle holder having a clamp coupled to a bottle holding clamp with a shapable tubular member. U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,244 to Nicholas discloses a very industrial looking baby bottle holder that includes a collar for holding a bottle, a yoke in which the collar is pivotally mounted, and a clamp coupled to the yoke via a pair of arms interconnected by a slidable joint. U.S. Pat. No. 2,605,069 to Gillaspy discloses a nursing bottle holder having a screw-type clamp for attaching the device to a crib rail or other similar fixed article, the clamp being attached to a flexible resilient forked clamp for holding a bottle with a pair of adjustably movable jointed arms equipped with screw-type tensioning knobs. U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,937 to Hill discloses a baby bottle holder having a bottle retainer fabricated from a continuous length of metal rod, that is coupled to a screw type clamp with a pair of jointed flat arms. U.S. Pat. No. 986,445 to Dekle discloses a nursing bottle holder having either a weighted base of a clamp connected to a spring clamp via an articulated structure of interconnected flat metal strips.
In spite of the existence of dozens of U.S. patents which disclose baby bottle holders, it is likely that all have fallen short of consumer expectations as few, if any, are commercially available. One of the noted problems with many of the patented devices may be their complexity, which translates to retail costs which may be higher than the average consumer is willing to pay. In addition, some appear to be sufficiently heavy as to pose a danger to the infant were they to become inadvertently unsecured while in use. Another perceived problem with many of the bottle holding devices is that adjustment to fit the particular situation is time consuming and inconvenient.
What is needed is a practical adjustable infant nursing bottle holder that is safe, simple, lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, and easily adjustable.
The present invention, which answers the heretofore expressed need for a practical infant nursing bottle holder apparatus, includes a U-shaped clamp having a central clamp portion and first and second generally parallel and opposed extensive portions integral with the central portion. The first extensive portion has a threaded aperture adapted to receive a threaded thumbscrew which is threadably movable perpendicular to the extensive portions. The thumbscrew may be fitted with a non-rotating load distributing member which slides between the two extensive portions. The central portion incorporates a first male snap connector member. The bottle holder apparatus further includes a generally U-shaped bottle retainer. The bottle retainer comprises a central retainer portion which incorporates a second male snap connector member and a pair of extensive retainer portions integral with the central portion retainer portion. A resilient strap releasably interconnects the free ends of the extensive retainer portions for securing a nursing bottle within the bottle retainer. The bottle holder apparatus further includes multiple interlinked arms, each pair of which are coupled with a swivel connector providing incremental arcuate positioning over a range greater than 180 degrees. The free end of each of the outermost arms incorporates a female snap connector which mates with either the first or second male snap connector. Each of the swivel connectors, which allows for simple reliable adjustments of the angle between a pair of interconnects arms, includes a first hinge member having an internally geared aperture with a first set of teeth. A second hinge member has an externally geared pivot shaft with a second set of teeth which passes through the internally geared aperture such that the first and second sets of teeth are mutually engaged, the pivot shaft being rigidly coupled at opposite ends to a pair of opposed, spaced apart hinge plates. The hinge plates are interconnected at some distance from the geared pivot shaft. At least the first hinge member is fabricated from a resilient material that deforms as the first hinge member is rotated about the pivot shaft. Alternatively, both the first hinge member and the pivot shaft may be fabricated from resilient materials, which may even be the same material.